Officers of Marines

I'm really considering going to OCS and I'm trying to figure out if it's right for me. I know it's ultimately up to me, but I would like to see what you guys think of being officers or what you think of officers you know. I'm trying to get an idea of the lifestyle so I can decide if it's right for me and if I'm right for the Marine Corps.

[USMCRET6391]

Officers are like the rest of humanity, there are good officers and their are bad officers and no one can tell who will be what when they go to OCS. In my 24 years in the Corps I met officers I would follow into the jaws of hell and officers I on occasion told they could go to hell. The key to being a good officer is knowing you are only as good as the troops you lead, by that I mean, you take care of them they will take care of you. The bad officers take all the credit for what goes right and blame their NCOs and SNCOs for what goes wrong (Marine ranks of course ). You want to be a good officer? I hope you like being hot, tired, dirty and bug infested, because your troops are going to be and you better be right there with them.

[Ram0528]

Not an officer, but i think that was well said

[Vulture6]

Here is a little advice that I give to prospective officers and to junior officers... "it isn't all about you!"

This means, don't go into a career as an officer of Marines thinking about what you will get out of it. It is about giving of yourself and putting your Marines ahead of you. This doesn't mean sacrificing the mission for comfort, it means putting their training, welfare, and comfort ahead of your own.

Marine Major General James L. Day used to tell his junior officers that it was important to let your Marines know how much you care for them, and that the best way to show them is by training them long and hard, keeping them up at night, pushing them when they are tired, cold, wet, and hungry -- all the time being right there with them -- and bringing them home alive rather than sending them home wrapped in a pouch.

If you are thinking of becoming an officer because of dreams of personal glory, ambitions toward greatness, or some great sense of adventure, then look for another profession. Do your tour and get out. To build on what the Master Sergeant said above - "The key to being a good officer is knowing you are only as good as the troops you lead" - frequently you will find that many of them are better men than you are, and be humbled by their selflessness and ability.

Not to be too heavy handed, but that's my advice on whether or not to become an officer. If you are up for it, do it. The rewards are fantastic and will stay with you the rest of your life. But do it for the right reasons.

As far as your original question about an officer's lifestyle, stay on this board and read all of the posts, and you will begin to get an idea of what the lifestyle of an officer is, or at least what it should be.

Good luck!

[USMCRET6391]

I'd like to add that there is a reason that Officers are initially trained by hand picked Drill Instructors.............In order to give orders you need to take orders and often times the junior officer's best friend is his platoon SNCO........

[Grimmy]

Mission first, your men second, yourself last. That's the order of priority a good officer of Marines alwase keeps in mind.

As an officer you will often have to be up earlier than your men and awake later. While the troops might get some downtime you would possibly be dealing with planning, cooridinating, organizing and or supervizing something or other.

Of course I am primarily referencing combat arms officers but I dont think you would have too much choice in what command type you serve in, so you might as well consider that.

[jmwsf]

Originally Posted by Grimmy

Mission first, your men second, yourself last. That's the order of priority a good officer of Marines alwase keeps in mind.

As an officer you will often have to be up earlier than your men and awake later. While the troops might get some downtime you would possibly be dealing with planning, cooridinating, organizing and or supervizing something or other.

Of course I am primarily referencing combat arms officers but I dont think you would have too much choice in what command type you serve in, so you might as well consider that.

Its going to be the same regardless of what MOS you end up with, Marine officers should take pride in always putting their men before them. It certainly is something that is drilled into every potential officer as they progress through the training. To be an officer you must hold yourself to a much higher standard than that of your Marines, and in so doing always look out for their safety by making sure they are as prepared as you can make them for the mission at hand.

A little bit about the MOS selection for officers. It is true that they don't get a strong voice in what MOS they get but by being the best they can and improving their standing at TBS they will increase the chances for getting what they want, which is primarily combat arms. If you have questions about how this works specifically please contact me.

[Xenophon]

The way I put it to other officer candidates is that if you take a round to the brain housing group and go down, the platoon can continue to function without you. But if the entire platoon goes down except for you, you cannot continue to function. Good officers realize that they're not necassary, but their men are.

[jmwsf]

Originally Posted by Xenophon

The way I put it to other officer candidates is that if you take a round to the brain housing group and go down, the platoon can continue to function without you. But if the entire platoon goes down except for you, you cannot continue to function. Good officers realize that they're not necassary, but their men are.

While that is certainly true a good officer could mean the difference between having a Platoon that takes casualties and one that effectively destroys the enemy without casualties. I realize that the wellbeing of the officer must come secondary to that of his men but lets not make it sound like they are useless.

Case in point look up Capt Chontosh sometime and what he accomplished in Iraq, both the invasion and this past fall.